Storyteller and author Sebastian Lockwood of Greenfield will read from his new book, “Headless in Hancock,” on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Greenfield Inn.
“Headless in Hancock” is a series of interrelated stories that take place at the Hancock Inn, now The Inn at Hancock, in 1882.
“The premise of the book is that every week, the stagecoach pulls up at the Inn, and you never know who is going to arrive,” Lockwood said. “It’s based on some true stories, some legends, and some ‘what if this happened?'”
Lockwood did extensive research about the era, and specifically about Hancock, to write “Headless.”
“I researched everything I could about 1882 — what happened in politics, what happened in finance, what happened with the weather — which gave me the background and the context,” Lockwood said. “I found out what books people were reading at the time — books were a huge part of popular culture — what food was popular, what was in the news.”
Every chapter features a new group of visitors, some famous historical figures of the late 19th century. In the first chapter, writer Washington Irving, author of “The Headless Horseman,” regales the guests at the Inn with stories.
“Each night, the guests gather in the Fox Tavern. There is always some kind of conflict between the guests; sometimes politics, sometimes worse. There are always cocktails,” Lockwood said.
In each story, the owners of the Inn, Jarvis and Susan Blood (“Jarvis” named for Hancock resident and longtime owner Jarvis Coffin) and their young staff, Caleb and Jeanette, cope with the quirky and demanding guests and their sometimes alarming behavior, such as when two guests insist on having a duel.
An appendix in the back of the book includes recipes for the 19th-century cocktails, including the “Sazerac, ” a drink that was popular in the 1880s and featured ground eggshells and absinthe.
Lockwood also researched period recipes such as jugged hare and sturgeon (caught in the Merrimack River) with fiddlehead ferns. The recipes are also included in the book.
Other historic characters in the book who are known to have actually visited Hancock include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby, who was the first registered Maine guide, and journalist Samuel Bowles, an alleged lover of Emily Dickinson.
“In the chapter on Emerson, his aunt Moody tells stories of having all the famous writers of the day spend time at the big yellow house in Concord — Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne, ” Lockwood said. “It’s so much fun to be able to bring in real historical characters and tell their stories in a setting we all know, and the history is so fascinating, there is no end of inspiration for these stories.”
“Headless in Hancock” and Lockwood’s other books are available at amazon.com/Headless-Hancock-1882-Sebastian-Lockwood-ebook.
Marshall to talk Greenfield history
On Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Greenfield Historical Society, longtime ConVal history teacher and Greenfield resident Bob Marshall will present “Old Roads and Cellar Holes in Greenfield — You Can’t Get There From Here.”
Marshall will trace his journey exploring the history of Greenfield’s old roads and cellar holes, and describe how he used research and technology to uncover forgotten roads and hidden cellar holes on Slip Road and the old Gulf Road.
The events are sponsored by the Greenfield Historical Society.